Cricket
T20 World Cup: South Africa vs UAE & India vs Netherlands
The final round of group matches is scheduled to take place this week in the T20 Men’s World Cup hosted in India and Sri Lanka.
We’re focusing on hosts India in action against minnows the Netherlands. South Africa, alongside India, is unbeaten in the tournament and kicks off Wednesday’s action against the United Arab Emirates. Both SA and India have secured Super Eights qualification.
South Africa vs United Arab Emirates
The Proteas are firing on all cylinders with three wins from three matches. Shukri Conrad’s side crushed New Zealand by seven wickets and are the overwhelming favourites against the UAE.
South Africa’s batting and bowling line-ups are far superior to the UAE’s. Expect Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Quinton De Kock to get in on the action. Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen have enough quality to tear through the UAE batting line-up.
The Proteas will be in a strong position to win by 8 to 10 wickets if they are chasing. South Africa will likely beat the UAE by more than 50 runs if they bat first because of their in-form batters and could post over 170. The UAE’s Sohaib Khan is one batter to look out for; he has scored 140 runs in the tournament. The 27-year-old has a strike rate of 144.33. The Proteas are good for over on runs as their batting form has been excellent in the tournament so far. Expect a convincing win for South Africa, with one of the seamers possibly to pick up four or five wickets.
India vs Netherlands
The hosts start the match as clear favourites. They came off a convincing win against fierce rivals Pakistan. Left-handed batsman Ishan Kishan looked devastating in the middle and smashed 77 off just 40 balls against India’s neighbours.
Looking ahead to the Netherlands match, India should easily overcome the Europeans. The hosts could put on a big score if they bat first. Their powerful batting lineup should generate a total of 180+, especially at Ahmedabad, where conditions have favoured batting.
On the bowling end, look out for Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy to tear into the Netherlands’ batting line-up. The latter has six wickets in the tournament so far, along with teammate Axar Patel.
If you’re looking for an upset, a good bet could be on Bas de Leede to get 50+ against the hosts. The Dutch team’s main batsman has scored 125 runs in the tournament with a high score of 72 not out. The odds might be longer, but a higher payout is guaranteed.